March 4, 2020
A tale of two fundamentally different crises in Canada
Over the past few weeks, Canadians have been seized by two crises: the spread of the coronavirus and the blockades set up across the country to protest construction of...
March 2, 2020
The shifting lens through which Canadians see the Wet’suwet’en crisis
Canadians have lived through many confrontations over Indigenous rights and resource development, but few have had such high stakes as the one that erupted last month and is still...
February 24, 2020
Quelles leçons tirer du conflit sur le gazoduc Coastal GasLink?
Quels enseignements peut-on tirer du conflit actuel entourant la construction du gazoduc Coastal GasLink en Colombie-Britannique ? Alors que l’attention médiatique et politique est tournée vers les solutions à...
February 24, 2020
Give the Wet’suwet’en space to conduct their law-making, away from barricades
In 1986, in preparation for the Delgamuukw land rights trial that would be held in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, an all clans feast was held in in...
February 21, 2020
Indigenous DNA database should be managed by its people
Canada’s use of DNA collection and analysis was expanded in March 2018 through the creation of five new DNA databases. Three were created for humanitarian purposes, and the other...
February 17, 2020
The breathtaking hypocrisy of the howls for “rule of law”
Last October, an international celebration occurred in the verdant coastal community of Bella Bella, BC. Members of the Heiltsuk Nation finally opened their Gvakva’aus Hailzaqv, their Big House, a...
January 27, 2020
Despite soaring Indigenous incarceration, minimum sentencing persists
It is impossible to know how hard the federal government is working to address Indigenous over-representation in Canada’s federal prisons, but it is clear it is not working very...
December 3, 2019
A chance to forge a fiscal relationship with Indigenous peoples
History tells us that minority governments in Canada can be shaky and unpredictable. But along with volatility and risk, there’s also an upside for political leaders who choose cooperation...
November 7, 2019
Here’s a way for governments to buy positive outcomes
(This article has been translated into French.) Can a little-known practice called “outcomes purchasing” generate solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges? We believe the answer is yes. Through...
October 9, 2019
Two Senate changes are long overdue and within reach
Parliament does not have the unilateral power to make changes to the Senate’s fundamental characteristics. That was made clear by two advisory opinions of the Supreme Court, one in...